Omnichannel

By Les Berglass    The appointments of new chief executives of major brands always cause a stir, but Gap Inc.’s recent announcement that Art Peck would succeed Glenn Murphy hit Wall Street like a truck. Why? Because the investment community  wanted a more predictable, standing CEO—it likes stability. But the truth is, this is a positive and revolutionary change.   

The innovative online shopping destination Gilt.com named Clay Cowan chief marketing officer to oversee global strategy, management, and revenue, for all digital channels.

Cowan joins Gilt.com from Starwood Hotels and Resorts global digital business team where he ran digital experiences for nine global brands and Starwood's SPG loyalty program in multiple languages and countries around the world. 

By Chris Donnelly, managing director for retail, Accenture Strategy   What do supermarkets have to gain from a price war? Judging from the battles that have been raging around the world of late, the answer is--nothing. Experience shows that they are truly a “race to the bottom”--aside from the consumer, the only possible winner is the lowest cost provider. Food retailers, however, have options for how to avoid getting drawn into a costly price war.   

With marketers all abuzz about beacons, mobile technology company Swirl Networks said it has created the first programmatic ad exchange for proximity-based in store mobile marketing.
 

London -- The White Company is showing off a new store concept that delivers a lifestyle-led experience modeled on a journey through the home. The 4,000 sq.ft. store, in Norwich (United Kingdom), builds on the British home goods retailer’s heritage to create an aspirational, curated retail experience. A feeling of accessible luxury permeates the welcoming space.   

Portland will be the proving ground this fall for a new mobile commerce initiative from Starbucks called Mobile Order and Pay that is part of the company’s broader effort to radically transform the retail experience.

Former Talbots and Bloomingdales executive Lisa Gavales was named president and CEO of personalized gift retailer Things Remembered where she plans to further evolve the retailer’s omnichannel offering.

Things Remembered operates 600 stores nationwide that are integrated with its Web site to allow for online ordering and same day pick up. Gavales will join the company November 10 to fill the position being vacated by Michael Anthony. He is relinquishing the CEO title after eight years but will remain as chairman of the board.

Hangzhou, China –- Alibaba Holding Group Ltd. is reportedly partnering with search startup Quixey Inc. to provide deep mobile search functionality into apps.   According to the Wall Street Journal, Alibaba is integrating deep-linking technology from Quixey into its YunOS mobile operating system, with the goal of enabling users to find data held within apps without opening the apps.